Folder for sheets



Nd 12, 1935., FRIELINGHAUS FOLDER FOR SHEETS .5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 25, 1934 Nov. 12, 1935. 2,020,939

L. FRIELINGHAUS FOLDER FOR SHEETS Filed 001;. 25, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l=.. r: -=J 35 3; M P

Nov. 12, 1935- L. FRIELINGHAUS v 2,020,939

FOLDER FOR SHEETS Filed Oct. 25, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Isl 51 L212 52 ny '7 Patented Nov. 12, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDER FOR SHEETS Application October 25, 1934, Serial No. 749,885 In Germany November 1, 1933 3 Claims.

My invention relates to folders for sheets and particularly to folders for sheets of thin gauge.

It is a known fact that a sheet which has passed through one or more roughing stands of rolling mills is diflicult to bring into registration at its overlying edges after having been folded as these edges will partly have indentures and projections of irregular shape. This is apt to lead to considerable waste of material, particularly when the sheets have to be folded in more than one ply and. with sheets of very large dimensions as they are now frequently produced in modern rolling mills.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a folder which allows for efiicient adjustment of the sheets at the edges. This object is attained by the provision of special means by which the bottom and the top part of the folded sheet can be displaced relative to each other at their longitudinal edges.

A further drawback of known folders has been that they were very complicated and unwieldy and therefore could not be placed amidst the train of conveyors which are provided for feeding the sheets to and from the mill stands and the furnaces, without causing obstruction in their track. It was therefore necessary to arrange the folders laterally with respect to these conveyors whereby additional transportation of the sheets became necessary involving loss of time and heat.

t is a further object of this invention to provide a folder which is so constructed that it has no parts which normally project into the track of the conveyors, so that sheets can even be moved through the folder without being stopped and operated.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the following specification in which two of its embodiments are described with reference to the annexed drawings in which Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are side views of a folder embodying the invention in three different positions.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are side views of another embodiment in three different positions.

Fig. 7 is a section along line V1IVII of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of a sheet rolling mill having a folder according to the invention associated with it.

In Figs. 1-3 of the drawings, I indicates the table of a folder which consists of acentral portion l0 and two outwardly extending portions I0", the central portion being somewhat higher than the outer portions. At the rear end of one of the portions I0", pivots II are provided for inner levers l2, one at either side of the table. The levers [2 have pivots l3 at their outer ends which carry a plurality. of outer levers I4. The latter are arranged side by side across the table so as to form a sort of rake, and they have small 10 depending extensions l5 at their pivoted ends carrying a common axis I B which is connected by means of rods I! to the pivots II. Normally the levers M will be in alignment with levers l2 and below the surface of the central portion ID of the table, but will be deflected out of that alignment into a horizontal position above table Ill when the inner levers l2 are swung upwardly about a certain angle.

The folder has also a pressure plate IB which at its inner end is pivoted at I3 and connected by a rod l9, attached thereto at its outer end by pivot 28, to a rocking lever 2|, which in its turn is pivotably mounted at 22 to a part 23 of the frame of the folder. 25

From the foregoing it Will be apparent that the folder has two separate rocking systems, each movable independent of the other. The first system comprises parts I l to I! inclusive, and the second system the parts 18 to 2| inclusive, the two systems being brought successively into operation as will be later described.

At the central portion ill of the table, clamps 24 are attached one at each side which clamps are movable to and from the surface by any suitable means such as a hydraulic piston for instance. The clamps 24 are mounted in guideways 25 so that they can be displaced lengthwise. In alignment with clamps 24, clamps 26 f similar construction are fixed to two of the outer levers l4.-

In operation a sheet S is placed on the top surface of the central portion ill of the table by any suitable conveying means, e. g. the roller conveyors 50 and 5| (Fig. 1). The sheet is of such a length, that it will extend also over the outer portions Ill" of the table and. the inner levers I2 as far as the outer levers M. The clamps 24 and 26 will then be brought into operation so that the sheet will be firmly gripped at its longi-- 5O tudinal edges at two places. In this stage of operation, all parts of the folder are below the table surface so that this surface is unobstructed. Thereupon, the first of the rocking systems is operated. whereby that part of the sheet which extends'over the levers i2 and i4 is turned over.

' that part of the sheet which extends over the table Ill as shown in Fig. 2 so that the two transverse edges will substantially meet. The sheet will thus be in what may be termed a pre-folded condition.

Now, in order to adjust these edges as exactly as possible which is necessary for the further manipulation and treatment of the sheets, the

clamps 24 are moved either singly or together in a longitudinal direction, carrying with them the sheet until its transverse edges are in exact alignment or when shaped too irregularly, at least in a position in which the overlying ends of the 7 sheet are so adjusted that they will project over each other as little as possible. Specialattention must also be paid to the fact that the overlying longitudinal edges of the sheet should always register as the clamps 24 are being moved. It

7 should be noted here that the aforedescribed adjustment of the sheet can be easily performed since the same at this stage of operation, has still arelatively wide loop portion at its bend which forms a somewhat yielding'connection between the top and the bottom part of the sheet.

After the adjustment of the sheet, the second rocking system is brought into operation whereby the loop portion between the top and bottom is used for feeding the sheets to the folder. This conveyor serves'also' as a support for the sheets during the folding operation. The folding means proper are here mounted on a truck 3| which can be displaced along the conveyor as indicated by the arrows in Fig.4. The folding means comprises a pair of rolls 32 located above the surface of conveyor 30. The rolls 32 can be axially drawn out by means of a system of levers 3 3, and are further adapted to be rotated by a motor 34 (Fig. 7), power being transmitted to the roll opposite the motor by means of gears 35, a shaft 36 an'da clutch 3'5, so that this roll canbe left at a standstill while the other is rotated. The folding means comprises also a pair of members 38,

each at one side of the conveyor which are adapted to be tilted about the axis 39 of the rolls 32. The members are connected to their pivots by l meanscf slottedarms 43 which serve also as guides for rolls 4!. The latter are eccentrically' pivoted about the axis 39 by means of links 42 so that the rolls 4! are drawn against the rolls 32 as the members 38 are swung upwardly, springs not shown here being provided for pressing rolls 4i downwardly against rolls 32 at the end of their movement. Adjacent the end of conveyor 33, a pair of power driven rolls 43 are provided, the gap between which is located in the'plane of the surface of the conveyor 39. A conveyor 44 is provided behindthe rolls 43 for discharging purposes, a pair of auxiliary rolls 45 being interposed between rolls 43 and conveyor 44 if desired.

In operation, a sheets is transferredby the conveyor 30 over the truck' 3|, the members 38 a being in their lowered position, so that the surface of the conveyor is unobstructed (Fig. 4).

The members 38 are then tilted upwardlyso that the sheet S'is bent around the rolls 32 in the shape of a lop,.until the two transverse edges of the sheet will substantially meet (Fig. The

sheet will thus be in what has already been called V a pro-folded condition.

Now in order to make the necessary adjustment of the overlying edges, the rolls 32 are rotated, 1

either together or singly, the clutch" 31 being disengaged in the latter case. The top portion of the sheet will thereby be moved relative to.

the bottom portion, so that the required adjustment willbe brought about as has already been more fully set out hereinbefore. It is to be noted that-during this adjustment operation the sheet is firmly gripped at its loop portion between the rolls 32 and 4|. Thereupon the truck 3| is moved towards the rolls 43 until the front end of the sheet enters-the gap between these rolls and is gripped by them and eventually by the auxiliary rolls 45. Only then the members 38 are tilted 1 25' backwardly (Fig. 6) so as to release the sheet from its grip between rolls 32 and 4|. The rolls 32 are now drawn outwardly by means of the levers 33, so that the sheet 3- is free toenter between the rolls 43 over its whole length whereby it is flattened down completely. After its passage between the rolls 43 and 45, the sheets reaches the conveyor 44 whereby it will be transferred to the succeeding rolling mill stands, or

other places of operation.

It will beapparent from the foregoing, that the folders according to this invention have no parts obstructing the topsurface of a conveyor or necessitating any. modification of it. They can therefore be located amidst .a train of conveyors without impeding the travel of thesheets, so that even sheets which are not'to be folded can pass throughthem without being stopped;

An arrangement of that kind isshown in Fig. 8 V

where I is a folder according to this invention, II a roughingand IIIa finishing-mill stand, IV a furnace and V the conveying means provided between the mill stand to transfer sheets to and from the folder.

I claim asmy invention: V 1. In a folder for sheets, the combination of a horizontal support for the sheet, separate means normally disposed below said support for folding the sheet infirstly fl'apping over the sheet placed on said support and secondly flattening the flapped over portion of the sheet down on the portion of the sheet resting on said'support,

' and means for. adjusting the overlying edges of the sheet when flapped over and before being flattened .down, said last-named means engaging, and being adjustable along, the longitudinal edges 7 r of the sheet. 7

r 2. Ina folder for sheets, the combination of a horizontal support for the sheet, tiltable members normally disposed below the surface of said support, means separately operated from said members for flattening downthe fiapped over portion of the sheet, and means for adjusting theovere lying edges of the sheet when fiapped over. and

before being flattened down, said last-named .means comprising clamps engaging, and being adjustable along, the longitudinal edges of the sheet. V

3. In a folder for sheets, the combination are port for flapping over a sheet placed onsaid jsup- {is horizontal support for a. sheet, tiltable members normally disposed below the surface of said support for flapping over a sheet placed on said support, means separately operated from said members for flattening down the flapped. over part of the sheet, and means for adjusting the overlying edges of the sheet when flapped over and before being flattened down, said last-named means comprising rotatable rolls carried by the pivots of said tiltable members and engaging and. being adjustable along the longitudinal edges of said sheet.

LOUIS FRIELINGHAUS. 

